I think a lot of kids dream about having special moments within whatever their passion has to offer premium talent. I used to love baseball and would dream of having a special moment for the Atlanta Braves, who were my team as a child. Travis Hunter must have had different dreams involving him making the game saving interception and then following that up with a game-winning Super Bowl catch. The crazy part about his dream is that he’s thisclose to making it happen.
Hunter began his college journey at an HBCU and the reason this stands out is because he was the top recruit in the nation on two of the three recruiting sites. Only ESPN had Travis lower than No. 1 and it wasn’t by much. He was their No.2 overall recruit behind Walter Nolen. He chose Jackson State because he wanted the opportunity to be coached by the only man who could likely relate to his talents on both sides of the ball and help him reach his goal of making it to the NFL and that was Deion Sanders. He became the first-ever No. 1 overall recruit to sign with an HBCU or FCS. He was also the first-ever five-star to sign with an HBCU.
While at Jackson State, Hunter more than lived up to the expectations. In limited action, Hunter had 4 offensive touchdowns to go with 188 yards. He also had 10 pass break-ups, and two INTs. He had very limited time on the field but Hunter maximized the time he did get. His numbers may look pedestrian but go and check out his run leading up to the SWAC championship. Also, it’s not so much what he does, but how he does it. Hunter is a natural & his read on the game comes from years of combining an intense love for the game and studying it from morning until night. He’s often the first player in and the the last player to leave at night at the football facilities.
Hunter was ready to stay at Jackson State and take his next steps there, but when his head coach was offered the chance to be the coach of a Power 5 program, taking his son Shedeur with him, Hunter decided to follow his quarterback and mentor to Colorado. It turned out to be the right move for Hunter. His game and the attention it has received has only skyrocketed in Boulder, and it was one display the very first game he ever played for the Buffaloes.
The first game on the Buffaloes schedule was TCU, who had just played Georgia for a National Title in their last game. The Horned Frogs were favored to win by almost 21 points (20.5), but Colorado managed to win the game 45-42 against a team that had beaten them 38-13 in 2022. Travis Hunter made his presence known on both sides of the ball but he ran roughshod on the offensive side of the ball, catching eleven passes for 119 yards. He also added a goaline interception midway through the third quarter to his credentials.
Hunter would finish the year with the Buffaloes tallying 57 catches for 721 yards and five touchdowns on offense. That’s an average of 6.33 catches per game with each catch averaging 12.6 yards per catch, and that’s in addition to the fact that he’s a top-rated corner with the ability to shut down an opponing no. 1 receiver. There’s little wonder that Hunter became beloved among journalists covering the sport.
But Hunter is more than just an athlete, as the commercials love to state. He’s always had a deep passion for the community because Hunter understands something fundamental to an athlete’s success: he is only as good as the community that surrounds him and even though his time is now, it’s still incumbent upon him to provide the chance for the next young buck to come through and make something of himself. When it comes to charity, Hunter already understands what’s most important in life.
Hunter participated in a project called “Cleat Crew,” put together by 7-Eleven and The Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The project involved the nation’s best collegiate athletes and The Shoe Surgeon to design custom cleats that would then be auctioned off. The program raised over $115,000 but that’s not even the most notable charitable action Hunter’s been involved with during his time with Colorado. That would come after Hunter took what many considered a cheapshot and led to a serious injury for Hunter.
Could you imagine bowling with someone that took a cheap shot at you which ended up leading to a very, very serious injury that could have been life-threatening? Travis Hunter could. Hunter is also not the type of player to hold a grudge or feel angry about things that happen during a game. If you don’t believe me, ask Colorado St. defensive back Henry Blackburn, who became friends with Hunter after that exact scenario took place.
Henry Blackburn pointlessly lit up Travis Hunter along the sidelines on an incomplete pass with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter and justifiably, he was hit with a personal foul. The hit by Blackburn was so serious it left Hunter with a lacterated liver, which he found out about later when he had to leave the game early due to excruciating pain. This ended up with him in the hospital later that day.
Henry Blackburn was assessed a personal foul after this late hit on Travis Hunter. pic.twitter.com/0avKi1erLU
— ESPN (@espn) September 17, 2023
Even though Hunter was the one who took the shot and the resulting injuries kept him from playing the next four games, he saw Blackburn as the victim. From Hunter’s point of view, people were trying to crucify someone for playing the game hard. He also hated the online hate that was coming Blackburn’s way.
“It’s not good,” Hunter was quoted as saying in the Daily Mail. “It’s not good for the community. If we was all nice to each other, the world would be 10 times better. That’s how I feel. And that’s how I look at it. And that’s why I don’t get mad.
“It’s football at the end of the day. You’re expecting something bad to happen on the football field. You’re going out there to run into each other a thousand times a game. When it happened, I was like ‘it’s not [your] fault. It’s football.’”
So, how did Hunter respond to the drama? Hunter took to YouTube and his response ended all discussion about what Blackburn did. Seriously. Hunter used his massive YouTube channel and invited Henry Blackburn and a bowling partner to compete in a match for charity with each of them donating $1,000 to charity. Even though the enormously talented Hunter walked away the winner, he still gave Blackburn the ability to choose where the money would go. Blackburn chose Realities for Children, a non-profit for abused children which has locations near both campuses.
Hunter is about to begin his junior season this year and it will be his third conference in as many such years. He’ll now have gone from the SWAC to the Pac-12 to the Big XII. The hype is as real as ever as Hunter makes his debut as a cover athlete on EA College Foootball ‘25 alongside Quinn Ewars and Donovan Edwards. This marks the game’s return after an ELEVEN year absence, so to say that all eyes will be on this game is an understatement of epic proportions.
But whether he’s playing man cover or if he’s the cover athlete, Travis Hunter is going to approach it with the same intensity and passion. He’s going to give everything he has and he’s going to make sure those around him are better because of him. But perhaps more than anything, he’s going to leave his community in a better place than when he found it because that’s the type of human Hunter is and that’s the mark he wants to leave on the world.
It’s pretty safe to say he’s done that up til this point.
